


Priceless

by Azar



Series: Ariel [10]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-12
Updated: 2011-08-12
Packaged: 2017-10-22 13:23:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/238470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azar/pseuds/Azar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the fifth anniversary of Blair's press-conference, Jim gets a much-needed reminder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Priceless

**Author's Note:**

> Set about a year or two after "Things That Go Bump in the Night" and five years after the episode "The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg." This was another early story I wrote out of order. I wrote it for the Sentinel lyric wheel, because it was what the lyrics gave me. If you ignore Ariel's presence, however, it works as a pretty solid future-fic all on its own too. Thanks to Nancy Taylor for her ever faithful beta duties on this series.

"Uh-uh, Jim. You are *out*, man!"

"Sandburg, that ball did not touch me! Trust me, I would have felt it."

Blair shook his head with a merry smile. "I do trust you, with my life. But I *don't* trust you not to try to cheat by dialing your sense of touch down to zero. So get out of here, before I report you to the ump."

"All right, BREAK IT UP!" Simon's voice boomed from behind them. As one, they turned to the masked figure, whose intimidation factor was only slightly enhanced by the black garb and body armor. "Jim, be a good sport and get your ass back into the dugout. He's right--you're out."

Caught, Jim just sighed, glared at his partner and stomped away from third base. Simon followed, resuming his place behind the plate.

"All right, Blair!" a jovial female voice shouted from the outfield. Jim redirected the glare in that direction, but Ariel just smirked and waved impishly at him.

As he reached the dugout, Brown gave him a sympathetic smile and a comforting pat on the shoulders. "Better luck next time, Jim."

"Hit a homer for me, will you, H?" Jim returned, his irritation fading into an amused smile. "Get back at that partner of mine for choosing to play on his wife's team instead of mine." The other detective grinned and strode to the plate while Ellison ducked his head and picked out a spot on the bench.

Out in the field, Blair smiled and tapped his eyebrow in salute, knowing his friend could see. Jim smiled in return, watching as the curly-haired third baseman turned his attention to H, who was playfully taunting Rafe about his pitching skills.

Officially, the ball game and the picnic were to commemorate Memorial Day Weekend, but unofficially the entire Major Crimes division considered it the anniversary of the day Blair Sandburg had formally turned in his unofficial status with the department for a full-time job. They were all here, Jim marveled, to celebrate something that he'd half expected to matter only to him...and to Blair.

A knife-blade twisted in his heart as he remembered the darker side of that celebration, the reason everything had changed. To this day it amazed him that Sandburg had never once shown any signs of regret.

God, had it really been five years?

He felt an arm slip through his and slender fingers entwine his hand. "Ooh, somebody's thinking deep thoughts," Megan's teasing voice intruded softly on his consciousness. "Either that or he's zoned, so I hope it's the former."

Jim smiled and squeezed her hand in return. "Just...remembering," he stated softly.

The Australian nodded wisely. The unofficial anniversary made it pretty clear what he was thinking about. "You still feel guilty about that, don't you?"

A low sigh escaped the Sentinel. "Is it that obvious?"

"Woman's intuition," she quipped. "Sentinels aren't the only ones with genetic advantages, you know."

He chuckled and released her hand to snake an arm around her waist. The light mood faded quickly though. "Even after five years, part of me still doesn't understand why he did it. So many roads that he could take...why did he choose this one?"

Megan smiled. "Well, Jim, I think the answer to that is pretty simple. Everyone wants a chance to be someone. We all have dreams, we all want our voices to be heard. But sometimes there are more important things. There's an expression I heard once: 'Sweeter than any star you can reach, is when you reach and find you've found someone.'"

Puzzled, Jim's eyes drifted to where Ariel's slender form could be seen chasing the ball Brown had just walloped.

"No, Jim," the woman beside him corrected, noticing where his attention had gone. "I don't mean Jenny--well, not just Jenny, anyway--I mean you. Sandy loves you, as a brother, as a friend, as your Guide...and he decided that you were more important than the prize."

"Why?" he whispered.

"Because *that's* the world's most priceless prize, Jim; if you can look back and know you were loved."

The detective couldn't help but chuckle. "Says the woman who turned down my proposal."

She blushed. "Yeah, well, I changed my mind, didn't I? And I did it because Jenny sat down and had pretty much this same talk with me."

Jim squeezed her tighter, grateful beyond words for that fact. "Sounds like we've both got some pretty good friends."

"We do," Megan agreed, letting her head fall familiarly onto his shoulder. "Jim?" she murmured into his chest.

"Mmm?"

"If you ever start to doubt again...wondering what your life is worth or why anyone would make a sacrifice for you...just remember that. You were loved. You *are* loved."

Detective James Ellison, Sentinel of the Great City, closed his eyes in gratitude and dropped a kiss onto the dark waves of his wife's hair. "I know."

"Megan, you're up," Simon interrupted gently, smiling at the couple on the bench.

She stood, giving her husband's hand one last squeeze. "Why can't you mates play a normal game, like cricket or rugby?" she teased good-naturedly, throwing a wink over her shoulder as she approached home plate.

The Captain-turned-umpire just snorted. "Since when has this department done anything normal?" he muttered to himself.

Jim smirked and turned his eyes back to the field.

**Author's Note:**

> Story based on the following lyrics, provided by Medie:
> 
> "You Were Loved"  
> written by Diane Warren, performed by Wynnona
> 
> We all want to make our place in this world;  
> We all want our voices to be heard.  
> Everyone wants a chance to be someone;  
> We all have dreams we need to dream,  
> But sweeter than any star you can reach  
> Is when you reach and find you've found someone.  
> You'll hold this world's most priceless thing,  
> The greatest gift this life can bring,  
> If you can look back and know  
> You were loved.
> 
> You were loved by someone,  
> Touched by someone,  
> Held by someone,  
> Meant something to someone,  
> Loved somebody,  
> Touched somebody's heart along the way.  
> You can look back and say,  
> You were loved.
> 
> You can have diamonds in your hand,  
> Have all the riches in the land,  
> Without love do you really have a thing.  
> When someone cares that you're alive,  
> When someone finds their world in your eyes,  
> Then you'll know you've found all you need.  
> You'll hold this world's most priceless prize,  
> The sweetest treasure in this life,  
> If you can look back and know  
> You were loved.
> 
> So many roads that you can take,  
> Whatever way you go,  
> Don't take that road alone.  
> Better you should know...
> 
> You were loved by someone,  
> Touched by someone,  
> Held by someone,  
> Meant something to someone,  
> Loved somebody,  
> Touched somebody's heart along the way.  
> You can look back and say,  
> You did OK  
> You were loved.
> 
> So remember to tell that one,  
> You are loved.


End file.
